SFD 2019: Adjudicators

LISA ROSE METZ: Junior Tap & Stage Adjudicator

Lisa’s diverse passion for Tap, Stage, Jazz, Ballet, Contemporary and Hip Hop create the ground work for her career and unique artistry. Lisa has vast experience ranging from dancing on TV in music videos to performing on stage in New York and L.A. She has also had the pleasure of choreographing and directing her first full length show entitled “Three”. In recent years Lisa has been gaining much attention for her individuality and unique style of choreography.

She has recently choreographed alongside Carlena Britch, JC Penny’s 2016 Back to School Commercial. Lisa has been part of the Radical Systems Arts, Vancouver’s “The Darlings’ Cabaret burlesque show and the Shay Keuber Contemporary Dance Collective. She has also proudly worked with Tiffany Tregarthen and David Raymond, Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson, Josh Beamish, Heather Laura Gray, Super Dave, Hollywood, Jen Oleksiuk, Tasha Gorrie, Shotyme as well as Legend and Link to name a few.

Lisa continues creating, working and training with choreographers and companies while exploring her passion for dance. Motivated by endless progression, Lisa is excited to share, inspire and be inspired by what the future will bring.

Film & TV credits include: Working The Engels, Make Your, Turn The Beat Around, Hairspray, Blues Brothers 2000, Taal, The Music Man, Bojangles, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, The Ladies Man, The Juno Awards, Beauty & The Beast, Slings & Arrows, Royal Canadian Air Farce, Instant Star and many TV commercials. Shawn has been featured in the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, National Post, Now Magazine, Eye Weekly, Toronto Sun, Canadian Living Magazine, and his engaging appearances on CP24, SLICE Network, Much Music, CBC’s The National, Rogers TV, Breakfast Television and numerous radio programs.

Shawn is a highly respected nationwide dance choreographer, instructor and coach. As a motivating coach, adjudicator, and lifelong student, Shawn Byfield believes in providing absolutely the most positive and fun learning environment. He continues to encourage our next generation of performers and leaders to confidently follow their passion.

IIZE TITOVA: Intermediate/Senior Ballet Adjudicator

Ilze Titova has been a member of the artistic staff at Canada’s National Ballet School (NBS) since 2007.

She teaches ballet technique to male and female students of all ages in Professional Ballet, Associates Ballet and Teacher Training Programs. Ilze has been a répétiteur in the annual NBS Spring Showcase, and has mentored students in the School’s Stephen Godfrey Choreographic Workshop.

Ilze was born in Riga, Latvia. She received her professional ballet training at the Riga Choreography School, and institution renowned for world class performers, such as Mikhail Baryshnikov. She began her career at the Latvian National Opera & Ballet Company in 1994 and remained with the company until 2001. Performing multiple roles in a wide variety of classical and contemporary repertoire. Ilze toured extensively throughout Europe during her time with the company.

Ilze graduated with distinction from NBS’ Teacher Training Program and is the recipient of the 2007 Betty Oliphant Award. She is a Registered Teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance. Ilze has been a guest teacher at Canada’s Ballet Jorgen and has served as a Juror for the Universal Ballet competition in Florida and Asian Gran Prix in Hong Kong.

KIRA HOFMANN: Junior Ballet Adjudicator

Ms. Kira Hofmann began her training as a young child, at the Canadian School of Ballet. She continued her training at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School in the Professional Division, where she studied the Russian ballet system. During her years with the school, she was awarded multiple scholarships, including the prestigious Prince Edward Award, and graduated the program with distinction.

In May of 2013, she represented the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School at Assemblé Internationale. Ms. Hofmann then moved to Germany to study at the John Cranko Schule in Stuttgart. After six months of training, Ms. Hofmann was offered a contract with the world renown, Stuttgart Ballet. With the company she performed several ballets including: Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, Taming of the Shrew, and Onegin. She toured with the company, performing in Thailand, Singapore, and at the Royal Opera House of Muskat, Oman.

After dancing for the Stuttgart Ballet, Ms. Hofmann moved back to Canada to pursue teaching. She is currently teaching in the Professional Division at Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. She is also the rehearsal assistant to choreographer, Jera Wolfe, and has worked to set ballets on Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, School of Contemporary Dancers, and Canada’s National Ballet School.

JANELLE ORDIALES ASTLES:International Adjudicator

Janelle, Cuban American dancer, teacher, and adjudicator. She began her early dance training in Miami, FL. She studied at Ronquillo’s School of Dance, Miami Youth Ballet, and New World School of the Arts. She received a BFA in dance from NWSA/UF then began her professional career as a company member for Freddick Bratcher and Co., apprentice with River North Chicago Dance, and was later a part of Central Florida Ballet.

Janelle has toured throughout North, South and Central America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. She has had the opportunity to work in several well-known productions such as the VMAS, Billboard Music Awards, ABC Christmas Day Parade, Lululemon’s Fall inspiration model, Royal Caribbean, and Latin Grammys. As assistant choreographer Janelle has worked on Ringling Brothers and Barnum Bailey’s Fully Charged, Disney Live!, Google, Cisco Computers, and many more.

Beside performing, she is a choreographer, judges dance competitions, teaches dance, group fitness, and Method of Modern Movement (MoMM) classes. She is blessed she has been able to pursue a career she loves and hopes she can inspire others to follow their dreams.

RYAN LEE: Modern/Contemporary Adjudicator

Independent Dance Artist Ryan Lee graduated from Ryerson University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Dance. He has been fortunate to have the opportunity to work with renowned choreographers: Emily Molnar, Stephen Pier, Tino Segal, Robert Glumbek, Robert Camaplella, Memeka Thakker, Darryl Tracey, D.A. Hoskins ,and Darcey Callison. Human Body Expression, ProArteDanza, Toronto Dance Theatre, Kaeja d’Dance, Anandam Dancetheatre, inDANCE, Larchaud Dance Project, Transcendance, The Chimer Project and TOES for Dance are some of the companies he has worked with. .

Ryan has been commissioned to make works by ProArteDanza, Anandam Dance Theatre, ACE Dance Theatre, The Emerging Artist Intensive, Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre, Dance Ontario, Etobicoke School for the Arts and The School of Toronto Dance Theatre.

This season Ryan will be on faculty at George Brown College, Conteur – The Academy and has been invited to create a new work for the graduating students of Ryerson University that will premier in April as a part of Spring Works 2019.

HANNAH BURKHOLDER: Intermediate/Senior Jazz Adjudicator

Hannah Burkholder is a triple threat choreographer and educator of dance hailing from Toronto, Canada. Hannah began dancing at the age of three and has trained extensively in Jazz, Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Modern, Theatre, Hip Hop, Contemporary and Acrobatics. She trained at a competitive level during school years and completed exams with the Canadian Dance Teachers Association in Jazz and Tap, along with various workshops, master classes and conventions across Canada and the United States. She has extensive acting, vocal and music theory training.

Hannah has had the opportunity to work and train internationally with amazing choreographers and educators. She has worked as a choreographer and adjudicator across Canada and the United States and continues to educate back home in Toronto. She has been recognized for her innovative and award winning choreography.

Hannah’s love and passion for dance is undeniable wherever she goes. She is thrilled to adjudicate, choreograph and share her love of performing in over 20 countries and continues educating dancers of all ages and is thrilled to share her love of dance across the nation.

AJ KAMBERE: Street Dance/Hip Hop Adjudicator

Member of Soulbotics Krew & Heavy Hittaz, & Creator of Funkanometry and Minibots crew, Aj “MegaMan” Kambere is a world renown professional dancer, Battler & entertainer.

With his talent in Hip Hop, Popping/Animation, Memphis Jookin, Stepping/Gumboot Dancing & Bopping, AJ MegaMan has taught in every continent sharing his knowledge to other dancers. He has worked with the likes of Popping John, Dytto, Wildabeast, Phillip Chebeeb Madd Chadd, Boppin Andre, Luther Brown on many different dance related projects. Some Projects MegaMan has worked on are: NBCs World Of Dance season 3, Hip Hop Battlegrounds, Keep on Dancing (KOD) Artist Emerge, Represent edmonton, Body talk Miami& the list goes on.

His main teachers, Megan Jones, Boppin Andre, Jwon, & Liz Vaessen have all been credited to helping MegaMan reach a successful professional level. Furthermore MegaMan enjoys teaching, battling, Hosting events & helping others reach there goals. If MegaMan had to give every dancer in the world some advice he’d say “K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Stupid.

JUDY RUSSELL: Junior Jazz Adjudicator

Judy has enjoyed adjudicating all forms of dance for many years! She grew up in Richmond B.C. and was fortunate to have life long mentorship by her mother Bunny Murray who owned a studio in Calgary and was a life long ballet teacher/acting and musical theatre director and her father Alex Murray who is a singer/musical director and choral conductor.

Judy has been a registered Royal Academy of Dance teacher since 1997 and since 1983 has run Enchainement Productions Inc., which is the umbrella company for Judy Russell’s Enchainement Dance Centre, Judy Russell Presents, Dance N’ Things Supply Store, Russell A/V and Central Interior Tickets. EPI also manages the Prince George Playhouse for the city of Prince George.

Judy is passionate about the performing arts and has trained and directed many successful dancers, studio owners, actors, stunt men and musical theatre artists. She loves to teach and was lucky to have enjoyed many wonderful teachers of all dance disciplines throughout her long career.

Judy was fortunate to have grown up at a time when Terpsichore Studio (currently Harbour Dance) in Vancouver is a vibrant and trend setting place where many amazing Jazz teachers have taught. Teacher like Andrea Porter, Macarena Gandarillas, Belinda Sobie, Bill Robertson ,the late great Dana Landers and of course the amazing Pamela Rosa helped shape Judy’s own natural ideas and abilities regarding the various styles of Jazz dance.